Willits council approves contract for new airport manager

The Willits City Council voted Wednesday to hire Brooktrails resident and pilot Dan Ramsey to manage the Willits Municipal Airport for the next year.

The council split on the vote 3-2, with Mayor Bruce Burton and Councilman Victor Hanson dissenting.

Ramsey, acting as DBA Mulligan Aviation, is expected to spend about 14 hours per week in a variety of airport duties. The cost to the city is expected to be about $1,900 per month including the manager's $1 million liability insurance coverage.

"The airport has needed a manager for a few years now due to cutbacks and staff changes," says Ramsey. "I live about a half mile from the airport and have been involved in it as an airport user and a member of the Willits chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

"I have been a manager, I've owned businesses, and I decided to offer my management services and my knowledge of aviation to the city. Being a manager is more than going out to change burned out light bulbs on the field. There is marketing and promotion needed as well.

"I think my background is a good fit for the position and I have a year to complete some of the deferred maintenance and market our airport."

One benefit to the city of this agreement is if Ramsey helps to increase airport traffic, it likely will result in increased fuel sales, generating cash for the city coffers.

Some of Ramsey's duties will include becoming the liaison for the city with the Federal Aviation Administration and CalTrans communication. City Manager Paul Cayler described the substantial volume of requests for information these agencies file each week.

One major task for Ramsey will be to continue encouraging and working with local groups of airport volunteers. These volunteer airport users have traditionally formed a motivated workforce helping maintain and market the airport. In recent years a number of volunteers have become disaffected due in part to a conflict between two volunteer factions, as well as earlier city efforts to outsource the airport management. This led to the cancellation of the Willits Airport Days in 2011. Ramsey is being asked to re-invigorate the Willits Airport Commission as the key oversight body to advise the city council on needs and condition at the airport.

Cayler told the council Ramsey was well-respected by all airport factions and is uniquely qualified to take on this task.

Ramsey will also be expected to inspect the airport facilities and grounds, performing minor routine maintenance as needed. For maintenance jobs too complex or out of his expertise, he will contact city work crews.

He also will be managing and overseeing hangar rentals and the fuel system.

The terms of the agreement is short term and loosely defined, to allow both Ramsey and the city to evaluate whether this will be a good long-term fit for both sides.